


Special Delivery

by bonibaru



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Human, Awkward Flirting, Gen, M/M, Magnus likes Sicilian, Other, Pizza, jace is confused, pizza delivery
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-03
Updated: 2017-11-03
Packaged: 2019-01-28 19:10:54
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,767
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12613456
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bonibaru/pseuds/bonibaru
Summary: “Are Monday nights always this slow?” The new trainee – Alex, or something - stood awkwardly by the brick oven, hands shoved in the pockets of his black jeans. It was hot in the kitchen and hottest by the oven, but the tall young man wasn’t even breaking a sweat.





	Special Delivery

**Author's Note:**

> You're minding your own business on Twitter and the next thing you know you're writing Alec Lightwood as a pizza delivery guy.

“Easy on the sausage, Lewis,” Jace called across the kitchen. He pretended not to notice when the bespectacled line cook flipped him off, throwing even more slices of meat on the raw pizza dough for good measure. He was making a quick dinner to go for himself and Jace, something they only had the luxury of doing toward the end of a slow night. They’d only had a handful of dine-in customers tonight and very few delivery orders. Jace leaned on the counter, watching their last diners of the night stroll out of the otherwise empty restaurant.

The cute redheaded waitress, Clary, flipped a towel at him as she moved into the dining room to clear tables. Jace briefly admired the way her hips swung back and forth under the strings of her red and white checkered apron, then glanced at the clock. Only fifteen minutes until closing. He hoped they wouldn’t get any more delivery orders this late. They had a gig to get to at a bar in Jersey; his guitar and Simon’s sat waiting in their van out back.

“Are Monday nights always this slow?” The new trainee – Alex, or something - stood awkwardly by the brick oven, hands shoved in the pockets of his black jeans. It was hot in the kitchen and hottest by the oven, but the tall young man wasn’t even breaking a sweat. He seemed cool in other ways, too. He was quiet, but learned fast. He had a knack for staying out of the way but still managing to be the right amount of helpful at just the right time. Jace liked him. So far.

“Sometimes.” Jace picked up a stray pen that lay next to the register and started to doodle idly on a napkin. “Football season starts soon and then Monday nights will be super busy. Easier to train you now when things are a little slower.”

Alex – no, _Alec,_ that was his name, Jace finally remembered – nodded, just as the phone began to ring.  Jace sighed. He shouldn’t have jinxed himself hoping to get out early.

“Thank you for calling Joe’s Pizza, how can I help you?"

“Sicilian with extra cheese. And I don’t mean your lame jokes this time, Jackson.”

Jace grinned at the familiar voice. “It’s _Jace_ , Mr. Bane. See you in twenty minutes.”

“I’ve had a long day and I’m starving - make it fifteen minutes and there will be an extra twenty in it for you, Jason.”

“You got it, sir.” He hung up and called over his shoulder to Simon, who was already reaching for a new ball of dough: “Penthouse Sicilian, and make it quick, will ya? We’ve got to be in Hoboken by ten.”

*****

“So what’s a penthouse Sicilian?” Alec slid into the passenger seat of the compact delivery car, folding up his long legs awkwardly to fit.

“One of our regular customers, Mr. Bane. Nightclub owner, lives a couple of blocks away. He says we make the best pizza outside of Italy and insists that he ought to know. Orders a couple of times a week. Alternates between a few different things, but he really loves Sicilian. You’ll start to learn who are the regulars, what they like, how they like it, as time goes by.”

Alec chewed on his bottom lip thoughtfully, as if searching for something else to say. The smell of hot pizza wafted through the car as Jace waited for a traffic light to turn green.

“So – did you say that you play music?”

“Yeah, me and Simon are kind of an acoustic duo. We play out a few nights a week here in the city, sometimes in Jersey like we are tonight. Mostly covers. Some of our own stuff. He’s a good songwriter.”

“So the pizza thing is a side job, or?”

Jace gave him a sideways glance. “Yup. Just waiting for our big break. If you can get in a few decent tips every night it definitely covers gas and tolls to get to gigs, and then some.”

Jace frowned slightly as a new thought occurred to him. Speaking of tips, when the local ladies found out the new pizza guy was tall, dark, and handsome (as far as Jace could tell), they might start asking for him on deliveries instead of Jace. Jace might have to start upping his game if he was going to have serious competition in that department. The guy before Alec, Raphael, had been good looking but had an icy cold demeanor and no people skills. He hated delivering, didn’t make great money and had moved on to greener pastures quickly. The last Jace had heard, Raphael was bartending at a ritzy steakhouse downtown that better matched his style.

Jace parked in front of the tallest building on the block, unbuckling his seat belt with a wry grin at Alec. “Here we go, kid. Get ready to learn from the master.”

*****

“Now the key to making great tips,” Jace said as the elevator doors opened at the Penthouse level, “is to know how much flirting is just enough flirting. You don’t want to be so subtle that it goes over the customer’s head, but you also don’t want to be so creepy or weird that they never call you back. You just want to make them feel good about themselves, enough to give you a few extra bucks and remember to ask for you the next time they want pizza.”

Alec looked confused. “But – you said _Mr._ Bane. Are you expecting _Mrs._ Bane to answer the door? Won’t Mr. Bane get mad if he hears you flirting with his wife?”

Jace chuckled. “Good point – always know if the significant other is in hearing range! But there’s nothing to worry about with this one. Mr. Bane is single right now, as far as I know; lucky for us he’s an equal opportunity flirt as well as a fantastic tipper. If he really likes you.”

Alec’s eyes widened briefly and a flash of color tinged his cheekbones. “I don’t really, uh, my flirting experience is – I’m … I’ve never really …” he trailed off uncomfortably as they stopped in front of an ornate door. An elegant brass placard to the side read _PH2_.

“Then it’s a good thing you have me around to show you the ropes.” Jace straightened his shoulders, cleared his throat, and knocked on the door.

Jace ignored the nerves radiating off of Alec as the door swung open. Bane was a strikingly handsome man, his spiky black hair gelled upright and tipped in red. He wore a deep maroon jacket in textured velvet over a black shirt unbuttoned to the waist, showing off several layers of necklaces and long chains brushing over the lean muscles beneath. His leather pants were so fitted he looked like he’d been poured into them.

Jace smiled in the way their band manager, Maureen, referred to as his “moneymaker”: lots of blinding white teeth, full on dimples, and consciously adding a sparkle to his eyes.  “Evening, Mr. Bane. May I say, your glitter eyeliner is _on point_.”

“Why tha-“ Bane’s reply suddenly choked off, and he stared over Jace’s head. “ _Who_ are _you_?”

Jace glanced over his shoulder at Alec, who stood frozen, eyes wide, lips parted in shock.

Jace elbowed him in the ribs, snapping him out of his trance. “A-Alec,” he stammered. “That’s Alec,” Jace added at the same time, helpfully. “New guy. I’m training him.”

Bane nodded, his eyes traveling slowly up and down the length of Alec’s body. “Well! I can see I’ll be working out a lot more often, to burn off all the pizza I’m going to be ordering.” Bane flashed a brilliant smile, toying with his silver ear cuff. He suddenly looked very young and a little unsure, surprisingly; even Jace had to admit the effect was quite magical. Jace didn’t need to look back around to know Alec had blushed even brighter red. He could practically feel the heat from the kid’s face on the back of his neck.

The two of them stared at each other, basically right _through_ Jace (like he wasn’t even _there_ ) for a few more awkward seconds until Jace finally pushed the pizza box into Bane’s hands. “That’ll be $16.95,” Jace said dully, all pretense of charm drained out of him.

“Oh! Of course,” Bane said, blinking rapidly. He made as if to shove a hand into his pocket and then apparently remembered the super-tight pocket-less pants he was wearing. He paused, holding up one long, elegantly manicured, ring-covered finger. “Just one moment.”  He stepped away inside, leaving the door slightly ajar.

“What is wrong with you?” Jace hissed. Alec just stared back at him, wide-eyed like a deer in headlights. “I – I don’t –“ he held his hands out, palms up, and shrugged helplessly.

“Jesus,” Jace muttered. “If you act like this around every hot guy you have to deliver to, you’re never going to make any money.”

Alec looked down at his shoes, sagging miserably.

The door opened again and Bane held out a wad of bills. “Keep the change.”

Jace took the money and started to turn away, but Bane quickly spoke again. “Oh, and pretty boy -” Jace turned back around. “Yes?”

“I’m not talking to you,” Bane said smoothly, looking past Jace. Confused, the blonde turned to Alec, who frowned slightly at Jace and then pointed a finger at his own chest. “Me?” Alec sounded even more surprised than Jace was.

“Yes, _you_.” Bane held out a strong slim hand. Alec reached his own forward to meet it, hesitantly. Bane pressed a folded bill into Alec's palm, then stepped back into the doorway.

“Call me.” Bane winked, holding two fingers up to his ears and mimicking a telephone. The door closed with a barely audible _click_ as Jace stared at Alec, open mouthed and dumbfounded.

“What the hell just happened?”

Alec unfolded the money, his eyes widening at the sight of a $100 bill.  A glittery purple business card fluttered out; a phone number was etched across the front in shiny silver type.

“He must _really_ like you,” Jace said with a low whistle, observing the way the color deepened in Alec’s face. It was kind of sweet, really.

Jace felt _much_ better about this whole arrangement. The kid could have this delivery, and Jace could keep first dibs on the local cougar contingent without worrying about a significant dent in his cash flow.

Jace pushed the elevator button and gave Alec a reassuring thump on the back. Everything was going to work out just fine.


End file.
